Colombia family to speak against ex-paramilitary leader in landmark US trial

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The former leader of a paramilitary death squad will face the family of one his victims in a Washington court on Friday, reported The Guardian newspaper.

In an unprecedented case, the Colombian family will be permitted to speak in a U.S court about the impact of the perpetrators’ crimes.

Hernan Giraldo Serna once led the “Tayrona Resistance Block,” a faction of the now-defunct AUC paramilitary group that was responsible for the murder of hundreds of farmers, leftist organizers and indigenous leaders on Colombia’s north coast.

This included the torture and murder of farmer Julio Henriquez in 2001, the father of the family that he will face in court.

The widow and two daughters of Henriquez plan on testifying to the impact that his crimes had on the community of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, while emphasizing the importance of ensuring that he does not return to the area he used to terrorize.

Giraldo, whom was given the nickname “the Drill” for the dozens of women he raped, was one of 14 paramilitary leaders to be extradited in 2008 on charges that he provided armed protection for drug traffickers.

The move was roundly criticized as all escaped facing trial in Colombia for crimes against humanity.

He now faces a court hearing having plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

In an interview with W Radio, Henriquez’s daughter Nadiezhda said she hoped that “the sentence will be a long one”, but acknowledged that the former paramilitary is “unlikely” to admit to his crimes in Colombia.

It’s very unlikely that he tells the truth. It’s very hard to imagine that he will continue confessing to crimes. None of the (paramilitaries extradited) have been doing so.